The Wire: Not The Greatest TV Show Ever

If you’re not already aware, cult television show The Wire is finally on Australian screens. Fans of the show are plentiful, but it’s unsurprising that it has taken so long to find a willing broadcaster, given the generally tepid nature of our viewing habits. It doesn’t help that the show offers an uncompromisingly brutal view of police and politics on the streets of Baltimore, and Australian TV networks are not renowned for risky programming.

But this you already know. The Wire is a revelation of complexity and intelligent drama. After five seasons, there are countless articles, blogs and interviews where the writer cites the almost universal consensus that it is “the greatest TV show ever made”. It’s usually put in quotation marks, although no-one ever references who actually said it first. I’ve heard it in conversation at parties though, and from film students, people on the bus – you get the idea.

I baulk at this claim. ‘Greatest show ever’ is at the very least a superlative remark devoid of any critical value – at its worst the kind of thing that reduces critical commentary to the mundane, and gives viewers an entitlement to a lazy appreciation of what does make this show so great. I think anyone who calls themself critical is doing a disservice to the practice by offering such a banal phrase to their readership.

What measures do we use to decide such a thing? Because it is a great show. It’s got humour, interesting characters, fantastic dialogue, social insight, breadth and clarity. So do plenty of other cop shows The Shield, or Hill St Blues, or um… Blue Heelers. But it also deals with the criminal world (like The Sopranos) offering a distinctly ambiguous moral compass. My point is that the show is raising the bar – yes, but to cry out “greatest show ever” should take into account other factors. Such as influence, longevity, and (regrettably) commercial success. TV is after all a commercial medium – so it would be unwise to measure a show’s ‘greatness’ on quality alone. While it gains points for risk – The Wire’s predecessor Homicide: Life on The Street broke the mould for cop shows long before. It’s worth noting that Homicide was based on a book by Wire creator David Simon – bleak, character driven and a lot less slick than the more recent Baltimore creation, particularly the early episodes are like watching arthouse cinema.

So it’s a tricky business to nominate the greatest show ever made. For my money, in terms of changing the face of TV – The Wire certainly fits the bill, has some way to go. Influence comes over time – and it’s important to recognise that this tipping point for complex viewing comes standing on the shoulders of a range of other terrific dramas. It remains to be seen exactly how big of a watershed we’re looking at.

On the other hand – greatest show ever? Try The Simpsons for commercial, critical success, influence and outright longevity. More episodes,more characters and more cultural currency than any show I’ve seen. But that’s just my opinion of course…

Any thoughts on this? What’s your greatest show of all time?

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